Cut Away
by Giantpanda
Summary: Shannon is pulling away from Sayid, once he finds out why, will he be able to fix it?


TITLE: Cut Away  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: Shannon is pulling away from Sayid, once he finds out why, will he be able to fix it?  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.

Sayid sat on the beach twirling the wires of the new transmitter that he was working on around his finger, his mind in overdrive. He had never been one who really understood women, but he had thought he had gotten a better understanding of Shannon after his return from rescuing Aaron. She had flown into his arms, and hadn't let go. They had been attached since that moment. They had stayed up talking about everything before finally falling asleep in each other's arms, as the first rays of sunshine had hit them.

After that, they had become closer.Shannon had begun to share her thoughts about being on the island, the death of her brother, and what she hoped to do when rescue came. Sayid in turn had shared some of his dreams as well. It was the first time he had allowed himself to think of the future. Sayid had truly believed that they were connected on a level unlike anything he had experienced for such a long time. She was smiling again, something that made his heart soar in happiness. She was so beautiful when she smiled. She had also decided that she was ready to take their relationship to the next level, however, multiple interruptions had prevented that from taking place. He had gone to her this morning at her shelter, finally free from any obligations to the other castaways, only to find her completely pulling away again. She had remained inside her tent, not allowing him to enter, and wouldn't even speak to him through the thin plastic tarp masquerading as a door.

He did not understand her complete change. Sayid had returned to the beach to be alone with his thoughts, but as he sat there, he came no closer to puzzling out the reason for her behavior. How does one go from wanting to become intimate the day before, to being completely unable to even be seen? Had he done something wrong?

Sayid had been racking his brain trying to figure out if he had pushed her too hard. Maybe she truly wasn't ready, and wasn't sure how to tell him. Maybe in some point of their conversations she believed that she needed to be ready for that step, when she truly wasn't. It was the only reason he could think of that would adequately explain her behavior. Now he had to figure out what it was he was going to do. He was tired of waiting, tired of feeling like a yoyo being pulled back and forth. He was not sure how much more of this his heart could take.

Sayid stood slowly, trying to prepare himself for the likely outcome of talking with Shannon when she was in a mood like this. He knew she would be angry with him for pushing her to talk when she was not ready. He was not fearful of many things, but he did not wish to get into an argument with her. She had a biting tongue when she wanted, and it was not something to which he looked forward.

As he walked to the caves, he wondered briefly where she would be. However, almost immediately, he knew that she would be in the little spot she had showed him the other day. Her own private spa, she had called it. There was a little waterfall and lake surrounded by soft moss. Hopefully being there would have helped whatever was bothering her.

Sayid entered the small area hesitantly. If there had been a door, he would have knocked.

"Shannon," he called.

"Go away," she yelled tearfully.

His thoughts of encountering her irate attitude vanished as he heard her voice. Was she hurt? Had something happened to upset her? Was she still filled with guilt about Boone's death?

He took another step forward. "Are you all right?"

"No. And I said to go away." She sat hunched in the corner were shadows prevented him from getting a good look at her.

"Not until you I see you."

Even though he knew it would make her angry, he continued further into the nook. He was surprised to find her sitting with scissors gripped tightly in one hand.

"What happened?" he asked, as his gaze fell to the blond locks that were scattered around her on the ground.

As she turned around, everything fell into place. Her hair appeared as if someone had attacked it with a butcher knife. She hadn't wanted him to see her like that, with her hair self-cut and uneven. At least that was his hope for her behavior. He knew that she was very sensitive about her appearance, and the uneven hair had to be a blow to her self-confidence.

She ducked her head down as if it would stop him from seeing her hair. "I don't like when my hair is long."

He knelt beside her. "Why did you not ask for assistance?"

He struggled not to laugh as he pictured her trying to cut her own hair. He knew that she was already feeling poorly about her appearance, and he did not wish to upset her.

She twirled the scissors around in her hand. "Thought I could do it myself. Never thought it would be so hard." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm hideous now."

He caressed her face. "You are always beautiful to me." He ran his fingers through her hair.

With a snort, she rolled her eyes at him in disbelief. He took the scissors from her hand, his fingers lingering against her soft skin longer than necessary. He moved so that he was able to sit behind her. She turned to face him, but he gently turned her head so she looked straight ahead. He sat up on his knees to have a better angle. He raised the scissors to her hair, and took a deep breath. This was, perhaps, the biggest risk he'd ever taken in his life. One faulty cut, and Shannon would never speak to him again. Of course, he didn't believe that anything he did could make her hair look worse.

He combed his fingers through her hair, searching for the shortest clump. One thing he learned was that he would never allow Shannon anywhere near his own hair. He was lucky that he was able to trim it himself.

His brow knit in concentration as he snipped her hair. Shannon jumped slightly at the sound. He rubbed his hand down her arm in comfort, before he continued to cut her hair. It took longer than he had thought it would, simply because he was afraid he would mess up if he hurried. He also took the opportunity to caress her exposed neck when he could, enjoying the cool touch of her creamy skin. She had never been more beautiful to him than she was at that moment. She trusted him completely. He ached to put down the scissors and simply kiss her bare neck. His breath quickened as he thought about pulling her close. Instead, he returned his concentration on her hair.

As he laid the scissors back on the ground, Shannon reached up to run her fingers through her hair checking to see if it was all one length now. She turned around, and he thought she was going to hug him in thanks. Instead, she grabbed her cosmetic bag. She pulled out her compact mirror and inspected what he had done.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Do you have a past cutting hair that you neglected to tell me?"

"Why?"

"You cut my hair perfectly." She moved so that she was inches from his face. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, her voice dropping seductively.

"You spent your Saturday nights tying knots, and I spent mine cutting hair."

He went back to that conversation that felt so long ago now. He still thought about her ability to tie knots and her invitation to tie them together, alone. She was so close to him now. He could reach out and draw her into his arms, and never let go. But he wasn't sure if he should. She had been upset with him earlier, and while that had simply been because of her hair, was he ready to take that chance. Would he be able to handle it if they simply continued flirting? He was ready for more, but would never push her.

"At least I know who to come to, and I'm not sharing you." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you. I feel better now."

"I am glad I could help." He ran his fingers through her shortened, soft hair as he captured her lips with his.

She pulled away slightly, her eyes reflecting the desire he knew was in his own. She pushed gently on his chest forcing him to lie down on the ground. As she began to unbutton his shirt, his heart raced in anticipation. All they were missing was the rope.

THE END


End file.
